Lime and Cumin Chicken with Mango Salsa

Those of you who are married or partnered, does your husband or wife find recipes in magazines or on the net and bring them to you with big smiles saying, “This looks good!” It happens frequently here. This week John handed me a grocery store magazine “with an idea,” he said.

I had to agree that it looked pretty good in the magazine (don’t they always?). It suggested mango and chilli salsa but John’s dad can’t eat anything spicy or he’s up all night, so we figured it would be just fine without the chillis on his plate. He agreed and ate every bite.

I liked this recipe because you make the lime and cumin marinade/sauce/goop and smear it over the chicken and there’s no waiting if you’re in a hurry. I was in a hurry so right after I oiled up the chicken, in the pan they went, presentation side down. Once they were all sizzled, I turned them over and then into the oven for 30 minutes. That was how long the recipe called for but maybe they had bigger pieces than I did. I will cook 20-25 minutes next time and check for doneness.

Believing that a recipe is going to be perfect as written is a bad habit of mine. If they say 30 minutes, that’s when I check. Dumb, I know. Why I assume that every recipe writer is smarter than I am – I dunno.

This meal was on the table in 40 minutes. My apologies to Jamie Oliver but rare is the day I can get a from-scratch meal on the table in under 30 minutes. It must be my age but frankly, I’ve never been able to do it, even when I was in my 20s.

Comments

I wish Phil would read magazines and pick stuff for me to cook, but he rarely does that – I sometimes ask him to take a look at one particular cookbook and pick something, he promises to do that “soon”. oh, well…

Mrs K R and I hand each other recipes to make all the time! And sometimes one of us makes it! Actually, if I see something sweet I let her know about it, but she’s always looking for new sweet things to make. She does the same for me with savory dishes. Anyway, this is a great looking dish. I’ll eat anything with mango in it, and this looks terrifically flavorful. I so rarely follow recipes as written that I don’t often get in trouble assuming the recipe is correct (I get in trouble because I try something that I think will work, and it doesn’t). You’d think I’d learn – but I never do!

I’ve seen chefs try Jamie’s 30 minute recipes and they all claim he’s WAY off. So, I wouldn’t blame yourself. I’ve never done a mango salsa but this recipe may well be my first time pairing meat and fruit.

I love this Maureen. What an excellent idea and we would definitely be having chilli in or on the mango salsa. Yes, cooking times vary so much you have to use your intuition. yOu are lucky to get such gorgeous mangoes so early in the season. I will be trying your recipe, thank you x 😀

Love the flavors in this recipe, Maureen. Lime and Cumin never disappoint.

Marion has a habit of clipping recipes from anywhere she can find them. The kicker is she’s been on a cookbook buying spree from the tons of catalogs she gets each day. (she gets at least six a day:) She’s been known to buy doubles more than once, lol…

I’m so bad at following recipes. I usually start checking way too far in advance which of course makes the dish take longer to cook!

Bobby sends me links every once in a while and most of the time I try to make them, but sometimes I take one look at it and say “You make it!” 🙂 John did good with this one. Very simple and tasty! Love the cumin lime marinade for the chicken. I need to try this one. Thanks!

I wish my hubby left me clues as to what he wants for dinner. He’s always like ‘surprise me’. Feel like ripping my hair out. One of these days I’m really going to ‘surprise’ him with the ultimate revenge; bulls testicles.
Until then, his ‘surprise’ tomorrow night will be lime and cumin chicken, LOVE the flavour combo! x

Love that lime cumin rub! I think everyone in our group could cut down in the time in our kitchen if their were “magic clean up fairies” that work to clean up all of our messes in our kitchen like Jamie has, don’t you agree? I like the idea of adding mint to your mango salsa-very refreshing. Have a super week. BAM

Hubby here rarely asks me to make something, but my boys, they are something. Even yesterday, my teen came home with croque madame in mind..:). I made it and he enjoyed it and asked for a 1 minute mugcake, demands never end.
This looks so deliciously and simple, a great weeknight meal.

This looks delicious! I’m in my 20’s (smack bang in the middle) and I also can’t get a from scratch meal on the table in under 30 minutes (salads don’t count!), unless it’s a stir fry but the way I cook rice takes half an hour in and of itself… so technically that doesn’t count, either, no matter that the rest of the prep/cooking is quite quick 😛

It sure does look delicious Maureen and healthy too! I love all of the ingredients and your presentation is beautiful. For a new recipe I usually set my timer about 5 minutes less because I never know if my oven is hotter or cooler so I just check a little early. BTW thirty minutes to table is awesome!

Maureen, this dish looks magazine quality beautiful!! So colorful! My son will actually casually mention a dish he sees on the internet and very casually inquires if I ever heard of it and would know how to make it..?? He’s pretty subtle, but I know what he’s thinking!!

I’m always spending waaaay too long in the kitchen so this looks perfect.
I asked Rich to go through a magazine once and pick out 3 recipes he would like and of course he picked the 3 most involved ones because he has no idea what it takes to put dinner on the table….somedays he just gets a bacon nutty.

Ooh I have so many of those ingredients growing in the garden! Now I just need to find a local mango tree. I’m with you on the 30 minutes. I’m sure it’s not impossible but I certainly haven’t achieved it.

That lime-cumin rub is going to be roadtested this very weekend ~ methinks with very positive results 🙂 ! I love Jamie’s 15 minute ones better than his 30, but have always taken for granted one cannot make hay in that time!! But the recipes are fun and reasonably fast and. these days, almost healthy: so what is there not to like!!!!! And may I echo Chicago John’s statement, please 😀 !!

Well here’s an amazing coincidence. I have to be out all afternoon and have been wondering what to cook for dinner that I can get to the table fairly quickly as it will be 6.30pm before I’m home. I decided I’d cook chicken breasts with a spicy marinade and was just about to do a google search but instead I came to your blog! I’ll cook this tonight and let you know how I go. Also…when I’ve made mango salsa I’ve used the green mangoes. I’ll try that because I’ve seen them in the shops. That would make it more of a Thai dish xx

The reason I chose this one was just because it used ripe mangoes and not much spice. Rob would live on antacids if I wasn’t careful. 🙂 I found a recipe I sort of liked and changed the seasoning but kept the salsa. 🙂

I can not imagine my husband noticing recipes, never mind suggesting them!! But John clearly spotted well with this example – lime, cumin and mango sound great to me and this dish seems perfect for summer weather.

I could hug you for posting this. 🙂 I have so many chicken breasts in my freezer and my frazzled brain couldn’t think of a thing to do with them that sounded remotely appetizing. This sounds fantastic. 🙂

Yum. And easy. And the perfect thing to do with mangoes if you don’t have a friand pan. 😀 Seriously, it looks so good, the only change I’d possibly make would be to use thigh fillets – I like those more, and they tend to stay moist in the oven.. xx

Dear Maureen, I always feel that way too. I automatically think the person writing the recipe know more. I suppose that it is the fact that I am not “professional” chef. Reading and seeing your recipes I think you could cook anyone under the table!! Your food looks, as Tony the Tiger would say, “GRRRREAT”.

Anyway, I never used or even tasted cumin until recently and I really enjoy the taste. This looks very good and would be a hit on my table.
Blessings dear and hugs, Catherine xo

Hehe I don’t think hubby has ever brought something to me from a magazine although he did once suggest that I make a thousand layer apple cake again. Unfortunately it took so long and was so painful I told him to enjoy every slice of the current cake because I’ll never make it again!

Love the spices Maureen, and anything that had mango too! My girls sometimes bring me magazine clipping recipes to try but I already subscribe to do many foodie magazines already that I have a big pile to work through 🙂

Maureen, I’ve asked for suggestions to no avail… TMOFW says he likes “whatever I cook.” Apparently your guys do, too — including fulfilling their requests customized to their palates! You’re a gem. As for thirty minute meals… yeah, right… as soon as I learn to chop as fast as Morimoto. 🙂

I’m exactly the same, I’ll follow a recipe to a T, even if I know that the process or ingredients doesn’t sound quite right or I think that I could do it better another way. I need to trust myself more, and you absolutely do too!!!!

The flavors caught my attention right away … I have a mango sitting on my counter ready to eat, now I can give it marching orders, per se. I know what you mean about 30 minute meals, I too have a hard time with that unless it’s a grilled steak and salad or seared fish of some sort and sauteed spinach. Maybe I just get distracted somewhere along the way, or it’s the back and forth of reading a recipe? Either way, I’m good with a solid 45 minutes if it ends in something savored. 🙂